Canon PowerShot SX210 IS Review

The Canon PowerShot SX210 IS ($349) is a fairly compact camera
that packs a 14X optical zoom lens, optical image stabilization, a widescreen
LCD display, both point-and-shoot and manual controls, and HD movie recording.
It's the follow-up to the PowerShot SX200, a camera I wasn't
particularly fond of. The table below compares the SX200 and SX210:

Feature

PowerShot SX200 IS

PowerShot SX210 IS

Resolution

12.1 Megapixel

14.1 Megapixel

Focal range

28 - 336 mm (12X)

28 - 392 mm

Max. aperture

F3.4 - F5.3

F3.1 - F5.9

LCD aspect ratio

4:3

16:9

Continuous shooting rate

0.8 fps

0.7 fps

Optical zoom in movie mode

No

Yes

Sound recording in movie mode

Mono

Stereo

Dynamic image stabilization *

No

Yes

Memory cards supported

SD/SDHC

SD/SDHC/SDXC

Battery life
(CIPA standard, live view off)

280 shots

260 shots

Dimensions (W x H x D)

4.1 x 2.4 x 1.5 in.

4.2 x 2.3 x 1.3 in.

Weight (empty)

220 g

188 g

Available colors

Black, blue, red

Black, purple, gold

* For movies only

As you can see, both the resolution and optical zoom got bumped
up on the SX210. The camera's movie mode has also been enhanced, with improve
image stabilization, stereo sound recording, and yes, use of the optical zoom. The
SX210 also sports a widescreen LCD display, though it's really only useful when
recording movies.

The compact ultra zoom space has grown considerably over the
last year, with virtually every manufacturer offering a camera in this category. Will
the PowerShot SX210 find itself at
the top of the heap? Keep
reading, our review starts right now!

What's in the Box?

The PowerShot SX210 IS has an average bundle. Inside the
box, you'll find:

The 14.1 effective Megapixel PowerShot SX210 IS digital
camera

NB-5L lithium-ion battery

Battery charger

Wrist strap

USB cable

A/V cable

CD-ROM featuring Canon Digital Camera Solution

35 page basic manual (printed) + full manual (on CD-ROM)

The PowerShot SX210 IS does not come with a memory card, nor
does it have any built-in memory. That means that you'll need to buy a memory
card right away, unless you happen to have one sitting around already (very
possible). The SX210 supports a million types of memory card, including SD,
SDHC, SDXC, MMC, MMCplus, and HC MMCplus. My advice is to stick with SDHC or
the new high capacity SDXC cards. I'd recommend picking up a 4GB card to start
with, and perhaps larger if you'll be recording a lot of movies. Spending the
extra dollars on a fast card (Class 4 or higher) is probably a good idea.

The SX210 uses the NB-5L lithium-ion battery, which has been
used on several generations of Canon PowerShots. This battery contains 4.1
Wh of energy, which is average for a compact camera. Let's see how that translates
into battery life:

Camera

Battery life
(CIPA standard)

Battery used

Canon PowerShot SX210 IS

260 shots

NB-5L

Casio Exilim EX-FH100

520 shots

NP-90

Fuji FinePix F80EXR

230 shots

NP-50

Nikon Coolpix S8000

210 shots

EN-EL12

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7

300 shots

DMW-BCG10

Ricoh CX3

310 shots

DB-100

Samsung HZ30W

270 shots

SLB-11A

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V

310 shots

NP-BG1

Battery life numbers are provided by the manufacturer

The first thing I should mention is that the battery life
on the SX210 is a bit worse than that of its predecessor. In the compact ultra
zoom group as a whole, the PowerShot SX210 is about 15% below average.

Naturally, I have to mention the usual caveats about the proprietary
batteries used by the SX210 and all the other cameras in the above table. Number
one, they're expensive, with a spare NB-5L setting you back at
least $35. Second, when the NB-5L runs out of juice, you can't grab some
AAs off the shelf to get you through the rest of the day. You don't really
have any options, though, as all compact ultra zooms are the same way.

When it's battery charging time, just pop the NB-5L into the
included charger. This is my favorite kind of charger -- it plugs right into
the wall (though in some countries you'll need a power cable). You can expect
to wait about 125 minutes to fully charge the battery.

As with nearly all compact cameras, you'll find a built-in
lens cover on the PowerShot SX210, so there's no clumsy lens cap to deal with.

The list of accessories that are available for the SX210 is
a short one. Here they are:

For connecting the camera to an HDTV. You can
save a fortune by buying a generic
one instead.

* Prices were accurate when review
was published

I told you it was a short list! One accessory that was available
on the SX200 but not its successor is an underwater case.

CameraWindow in Mac OS X

Canon includes version 64 of their Digital Camera Solution Disk with the PowerShot SX210 IS (the version numbers seem to go up by ten every year). The first part of the software suite that you'll probably encounter is Camera Window (pictured above), which you'll use to transfer images to your computer, organize photos on the camera (meaning delete or protect), upload videos to YouTube (I have no idea why the software says "images"), and adjust a few camera settings (startup screen, sounds, theme) as well.

ImageBrowser in Mac OS X

After you've transferred photos to your computer, you'll find yourself in either ImageBrowser or ZoomBrowser, which are for Mac and Windows respectively. The Browser software lets you view, organize, e-mail, and print your photos. If you categorized any photos on the camera (more on this later), then this information is transferred into the Browser software.

Editing in ImageBrowser

Double-click on a thumbnail and you'll bring up the edit window. Editing functions include trimming, redeye removal, plus the ability to adjust levels, color, brightness, sharpness, and the tone curve. There's also an auto adjustment option for those who want a quick fix.

As for movie editing, you can grab a still frame from the video, or remove unwanted footage from the beginning or end. The software warns that it can only trim videos in 1 second increments, for some reason.

PhotoStitch in Mac OS X

The last part of the Canon software suite that I want to mention is PhotoStitch. As you can see, this allows you to combine multiple photos into a single panoramic image. It's super easy to use, and the results can be impressive. While using the camera's Stitch Assist feature isn't required to make panoramas, it does help you line things up correctly, so there are no "seams" in the final product.

Longtime readers of the DCRP could probably hear my cries
of "noooooo" when I opened the SX210's packaging and found only a
thin "basic manual". That's right, the full manual is only available
in digital format on an included CD-ROM. The basic manual is enough to get
you up and running, but that's about it -- you'll almost certainly need to
load up the real thing at some point. The manual is very detailed, though not
terribly user-friendly, save for the helpful "what do you want to do" section,
which is (ironically) in the full manual. Documentation for the software bundle is
installed onto your computer.